Tempest in an alt-weekly’s ad smut pot? This time: San Jose’s Metro

Latest brouhaha over Backpage.com, the sex ad site that’s come under fire after moving into the vacuum left behind when Craigslist cleaned up its prostitution ads: a Santa Clara County prosecutor is pointing the finger at San Jose’s Metro as peddling prostitution. Assistant DA Chuck Gillingham, who handles sex exploitation crimes, calls the Backpage ads in Metro “obviously prostitution,” while saying he’s speaking as a private citizen. Dan Pulcrano, the alt weekly’s CEO and executive editor, tells NBC Bay Area Gillingham's comments represent an attempt by the county’s labor faction to divert attention from the newspaper’s coverage of a former labor boss.

Backpage.com, by the way, is owned by former Village Voice Media (and ex-SF Weekly) owners Mike Lacey and Jim Larkin.

Image: NYT photo of a New York protest against Backpage.com  last year